Dave Alvin & Jimmie Dale GilmoreCedar Cultural Center, Wednesday 10.25
Californian Dave Alvin and Texan Jimmie Dale Gilmore epitomized rootsy Americana long before that term was popular. These two well-seasoned singer-songwriters are longtime friends, but they’d never before played together, so they’ve hit the road with acoustic guitars to swap songs, stories, and the music that inspired them. Around 1980 Alvin, wielding a stinging guitar, founded the L.A. punkabilly group the Blasters with his brother Phil, and in the years since they disbanded his storytelling skills have fueled his many solo albums. Gilmore emerged from the Texas Panhandle in the early ’70s with Joe Ely and Butch Hancock as the Flatlanders, who were totally ignored in their day. By the time their pioneering work was rediscovered decades later, Gilmore had already established a solo career with his fine, wiry voice, becoming a mix of country philosopher, honky-tonker, and cosmic cowboy. 8 p.m. $30-$37. 416 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-338-2674. —Rick Mason

Keyshia ColeOrpheum Theatre, Friday 10.27
R&B changes every year, but for more than a decade Keyshia Cole has remained a mainstay of the genre. The Oakland native, now 36, broke through in 2005 with “Love” and its unforgettable, crying chorus; by the time of her Missy Elliott- and Lil’ Kim-assisted smash “Let It Go” in 2007, KC had already proved herself worthy of singing alongside those more established collaborators. No matter how many co-writers or producers Cole surrounds herself with, her songs feel powerfully autobiographical, conveying love’s ecstasies and pains, as well as everything in between. Though Cole has also been a staple of reality TV over the years (she currently stars in Love & Hip-Hop: Hollywood), her new contract with Epic Records has her poised for a musical resurgence. Her first album since 2014, the new 11:11 Reset, features her most successful single in years, “You,” with East Coast hip-hop flavors courtesy of French Montana and Remy Ma. Tank opens. 8 p.m. $39-$79. 910 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; 612-455-9500. —Michael Madden

THE CURRENT PRESENTS: THE RISE OF THE MINNEAPOLIS SOUND Oct. 28, 7:00 p.m. at Fitzgerald Theater

ALAN JACKSON Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m. at Target Center

BLACKALICIOUS Oct. 28, 9:00 p.m. at 7th St. Entry

Arcade FireXcel Energy Center, Sunday 10.29
Since 2004, Arcade Fire have consistently pulled off displays of indie-rock grandeur with (mostly) excellent results. The Montreal band’s profusely acclaimed debut, Funeral, launched them to indie fame almost overnight, with their passionate, anthemic, and baroque sound soon finding a fan in David Bowie. Over the next decade, the band extended their winning streak, releasing an era-defining album once every three years. There was 2007’s densely orchestral Neon Bible, ’10’s Grammy-winning slow-burner The Suburbs, and ’14’s more groove-driven Reflektor, co-produced by LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy. Butler, wife Regine Chassagne, and the rest of the band returned earlier this year with their major-label debut, Everything Now. The first Arcade Fire album to be widely received as a disappointment (partly due to ill-advised stylistic experiments, like the awkward faux-reggae of “Chemistry”), it’s better than you may have heard. The band are at their sweeping best on the title track and their most danceable on “Creature Comfort.” The Breeders open. 7:30 p.m. $23.50-$272.50. 199 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul; 651-265-4800. —Michael Madden

DISCO TOWN HALL: PRESENTED BY WILL BUTLER OF ARCADE FIRE Oct. 29, 10:30 p.m. at Turf Club

Gogol BordelloFirst Avenue, Monday 10.30
“Gypsy punk” is the tag the irrepressible Eugene Hütz long ago applied to the multicultural circus and sonic blitzkrieg of his band, Gogol Bordello. But that term is inadequate, because the nonet tosses so many unlikely ingredients into its mix—metal, mariachi, reggae hoedown on the steppes?—it’d take the United Nations to sort it out. The results can be edifying, electrifying, or enervating, and also broadly comedic when the band shifts into Marx Brothers-like anarchy, complete with Hütz’s blustery, heavily accented, existential pronouncements—or “bonanzatronic freakohol,” as Hütz spews in “Did It All,” the frenetic opener on GB’s latest, Seekers and Finders. He’s in a philosophic mood, musing on quests for meaning, living in the moment, and even taking on Darwin and Descartes in “Saboteur Blues,” the most blistering, fully realized cut. Lucky Chops, a raucous, pop/punk/jazz-infused NYC brass quintet, open. 18+. 7 p.m. $35. 701 First Ave. N., Minneapolis; 612-338-8388. —Rick Mason

TROKER Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m. at The Cedar Cultural Center

THE PACK A.D. Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m. at 7th St. Entry

LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM AND CHRISTINE MCVIE Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m. at Northrop

King KruleFine Line Music Cafe, Tuesday 10.31
Archy Marshall, the 23-year-old London native best known as King Krule, first drew blogosphere love in 2010 with his U.F.O.W.A.V.E. EP. In the seven years since, he’s been popular (famous fans include Beyoncé and Earl Sweatshirt) and enigmatic in equal measure, scattering music across the internet under a slew of monikers. His music’s one constant is his strange croon, somewhat suggesting a drunken Joe Strummer. Aside from that, Marshall has been restlessly experimental, toying with indie rock, hip-hop, Burial-style dubstep, and more. As King Krule, he returned earlier this month with his first album since 2015’s especially rap-influenced A New Place 2 Drown. The new record, The Ooz, is a gloomy, hour-long meditation on Marshall’s experiences with depression and a recent breakup. And hey, as a Halloween-night concert option, it helps that there’s often a spookiness to The Ooz and the rest of Marshall’s catalog, inspired by his undying love of horror flicks. The Stand4rd member Psymun opens. 18+. 8 p.m. $20-$35. 318 First Ave. N., Minneapolis; 612-338-8100. —Michael Madden

Take Me to the RiverDakota, Tuesday 10.31 & Wednesday 11.1
Featuring collaborations between genuine icons and younger artists, this old-style revue highlights both the potent history of Memphis music and the vitality of the city’s contemporary scene. The tour was inspired by the 2014 award-winning film Take Me to the River, which documented a series of extraordinary studio sessions, and its lineup includes three certified legends. William Bell, a stalwart of Stax Records’ heyday, hit it big with “You Don’t Miss Your Water” and “Everybody Loves a Winner,” and he wrote the blues standard “Born Under a Bad Sign.” Chitlin’ circuit barnburner Bobby Rush has been playing a raucous mix of blues, funk, and soul for half a century. And harmonica ace Charlie Musselwhite has worked with virtually every major blues artist, as well as put out a string of notable solo albums. The hip-hop contingent includes Memphis rappers Frayser Boy and Al Kapone. Backing everyone will be the Boo Mitchell-directed Hi Rhythm Section, the house band at Royal Studios, home of the classic Hi soul label, both founded by Mitchell’s late father, Willie. 7 p.m. $60-$92. 1010 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis; 612-332-5299. —Rick Mason